“Fire Paramedic 33, what is the address of your emergency?”

Solve a real-life medical mystery

Sleep Mystery starts with the 911 call as it arrives to the dispatch center. A 50-year-old man was found in his bedroom not breathing. Paramedics are sent to the home, and the mystery begins.

This highly innovative game

• combines the topics of substance abuse and sleep: student drug use and inadequate sleep are highly correlated
• presents a compelling story that engages students immediately
• imparts lasting lessons on personal and community health through participation in hands-on, intense, real-world scenarios
• helps students see the role they personally play in forming their own health habits that impact chronic and acute disease
• allows students to play several roles from homicide detectives to medical subspecialists
• uses STEM tools to solve the mystery, using actual clinical and forensic data.

Sleep is becoming a public health crisis

• Adolescents are chronically sleep deprived: 70% sleep less than the required 9 hours.
• Inadequate sleep impairs academic performance: high schools that have shifted their start times later in the morning have seen grades and test scores go up.
• Drowsy driving is just as dangerous as drunk driving: high schools with later start times have reduced traffic fatalities.
• Long-term health consequences: heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, mental disorders, and cancer are all linked to inadequate sleep or poor sleep quality.

Prescription drug abuse is rising